Story at a glance:
- There is probable cause for a trial against former Brooklyn Center, Minn., police officer Kim Potter, said a judge.
- Footage of the incident shows Potter mistaking her firearm for a Taser.
- The 48-year-old officer resigned on April 13.
The officer who shot and killed Daunte Wright will have a tentative trial date set on Dec. 6.
There is probable cause for a trial against former Brooklyn Center, Minn., police officer Kim Potter, a 26-year veteran officer who faces a second degree manslaughter charge for killing Wright, Hennepin County District Judge Regina Chu said, according to The Associated Press.
“I do find that there’s probable cause to support the charge against the defendant, Ms. Potter,” Chu said.
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The 48-year-old officer resigned on April 13 after facing mounting pressure from the community. The Brooklyn Center Police chief Tim Gannon also resigned the same day.
The death of Wright sparked outrage from activists and comparison to George Floyd, a Black man who was killed by now-former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
On April 11, the day of Wright’s death, Chauvin was still on trial — eventually he was found guilty by jury on April 20.
According to The Washington Post, in the footage, which came from Potter’s body cam, she mistook her firearm for a Taser — a mistake many, including fellow officers nationwide, have criticized.
As reported by Black Enterprise, it was revealed that Potter apparently has a history of missing out on training and being responsible for mistakes.
In 2000, she was suspended from the force for failing to comply with in-person training. Seven years later, she was verbally reprimanded for a mishap involving a series of violent robberies. Lastly, she was written up by a supervisor for not doing enough to make direct contact with people in the Brooklyn Center area, Black Enterprise reported.
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